


Campaign

by RenkonNairu



Category: Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Competition, F/M, Kendo, Melodrama, Middle School, naginata, student council elections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-15
Packaged: 2017-12-04 20:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/714942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenkonNairu/pseuds/RenkonNairu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DISCONTINUED! </p><p>Not all battles are fought with fists. Trunks runs for Student Council President and vows to destroy the opposition. Not literally, of course!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Adversary

All the greatest conquerors had equally great adversaries. Tokugawa Ieyasu had Ishida Mitsunari. Leonidas had Xerxes. Sherlock Holmes had Moriarty. His father has Goku.

All were masters in their chosen fields. All challenged their respective counterparts, prompting them to work harder, fight smarter, think more creatively, so that when their victory was finally claimed, it would be all the sweeter. Who, then, in his chosen arena did Trunks have?

The obvious answer to most would be Son Goten. His best friend and frequent sparring partner. The boys remained consistently equal in terms of power and strength. But Goten had never been much of a challenge when it came to intelligence. To strategy and manipulation. Goten was to easily influenced. To easily controlled. He and Trunks had been best friends almost since the day Goten had been born. As such, Trunks knew all his buttons and triggers, knew just what to say to get him to lose focus on the match and leave himself open to his friend's winning blow. Or just the right thing to bribe or blackmail him with to coax the other demi-Saiyan into his notorious mischief. They would always be best friends and they would always be rivals, Trunks would always go to him to test his physical strength, try out a new technique he thought up, or to just spend some time with someone his own age who shared his unique... circumstances. But as far as a challenge went, he wanted something more.

Sadly, nothing like what Trunks wanted could be found within their group of friends. Or even the expanded fighting community. Not many people with brains delight in pounding them out of others. Or, if they do, they don't usually keep those brains very long. One solid blow to the human skull could do anything between lowering an IQ by 5 points or cause permanent brain damage -hell! even death. Trunks wouldn't find an intellectual opponent among the Z-senshi or any of Earth's 'fighters'. He would have to look elsewhere.

As it happened, Trunks found his challenger completely by accident and in the least likely of places. His own middle school, just after announcing his plan to run for Student Council President.

The young heir to the Capsule Corporation and descendent of Saiyan royalty hadn't expected any opposition to his bid for the position. After all, who in this whole godforsaken school would run against him? He had the almost perfect GPA that seemed to be an un-written requisite for the job, which made the faculty happy. Plus, the looks that would win him the popular votes from the main (female) portion of the student body. Not to mention his extra-curriculars as Treasurer of the Robotics Club, Under Secretary for the Science League, and of course, Captain of the Kendo Team. His Presidency on the Student Council should have been assured.

That was, until his opponent announced her intention to run.

At first, Trunks was livid. How dare that little bitch try and wrest power from him! The position of Student Council President was basically 'King of the School', it was his by right! He was a prince who deserved a throne.

Using his leverage as heir to his mother's company, Trunks had the Capsule Corp. security staff run a thorough background check on her. Because, as his father was constantly drilling into him, you must first know your enemy before you can engage them. Trunks intended to learn everything. Every last skeleton out of every last closet she ever owned, ever speck of dirt no matter how microscopic would be used to his advantage if played the right way. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a voice -that sounded suspiciously like Goten's goody-goody brother- saying that smear campaigns where beneath him and that he should try and win by his own merit. But he squished that voice down, smothered it under his father's voice reminding him that to lose to an inferior opponent is the single greatest shame a Saiyan Elite could endure and that victory should be his only concern. Only fools and idiots concerned themselves with 'fighting fair'.

Panni Rajkumari

Born Age 767

Daughter of Ashok and Korwaki Rajkumari. A wealthy family, originally from the southern part of the eastern continent. Moved to West City when Panni was eight. An only child. Her parents own a a computer company that designs military grade software. Capsule Corp. has even commissioned them twice over the past five years. Inversely, what the company doesn't report on its annual tax return is that they also manufacture viruses for less reputable clients. Those commissions are handled under the table by her father only and its unlikely Panni knows anything about them to begin with. Trunks filed it in the back of his mind in case it might become useful, but to beat her in the Student Council elections he would need something a bit more relevant to the concerns of the average middle school student.

As far as her academics went, Panni had never gotten a grade lower than B+. Her current GPA was 3.9 with her lowest grade being an A-. She was active in the Girls' League, Drama Club and was Captain of the Naginata Team. Trunks licked his lips in anticipation when he read that. He found himself wondering how her naginatajutsu skills might hold up against his mastery of kendo. Perhaps after he won the presidency and completely destroyed her, they could have a match. After all, while he could easily crush her into the dirt with a simple flick of his wrist, weak human that she was, fighting with sword or naginata wasn't about strength, but skill. Weapons combat was one of the few sports on Earth where a human might actually pose a challenge to a Saiyan, because all the strength in the world wouldn't help them against an opponent who actually knew what they were doing.

She had never been involved in any version of a school yard scandal, and as far as CC's investigators could find, she had never had a boyfriend, girlfriend, or even owned a body pillow. She did, however, have a brief crush on the Great Saiyaman for one year between the ages of nine and ten. Well, if she liked that goody-goody Gohan then maybe she wasn't all that smart after all.

In short, she was a rich spoiled brat that was used to getting what she wanted. Trunks would crush her like a worm!

She might not be great. But Trunks found his intellectual challenge.

Their chosen arena was Politics. Their battle ground was the school. Only one of them could come out with his dignity intact. The looser would be left to wallow in the shame of her defeat, the unwanted dredge of the school.

Let the battle be joined.

...


	2. First Speeches

Trunks landed in a narrow alley just round the corner from his school. He withdrew a comb from his back pocket and pulled it through his wind-tossed hair a couple of times. Today was a very important day, the first day of campaign speeches for the Student Council elections. He had to look his best, and that was exactly what he intended to do. 

Hair combed. Uniformed freshly pressed. Shoes polished. Creases ironed into his slacks. Tie nice and tight. And just for a bit of flair, a gold pin bearing the Saiyan royal crest pinned to his lapel. He was dressed for battle, but not the kind of battle his father was used to. No. This was a war of charm and charisma. The object was not to beat your opponent into the ground and leave them a bloody and broken mess, no. It was to garner favor with as many members of the student body as you could and win the popular vote. It was a battle fought, not with fists and ki, but with smiles and hand-shakes. It was a game of manipulations.

Trunks smirked. Manipulation was nothing new to him. He'd been manipulating his grandparents, his mother, and his best friend since before he could talk. Swaying a crowd to his favor should be easy. He was going to crush Panni Rajkumari into the dust. How dare she even think she could challenge him? 

Plastering an easy smile on his face and adopting a casual, carefree air, Trunks stepped out of his alley and walked the remaining block and a half to school. He wished a good morning to the students who's names he could remember and returned the good mornings of those that he had no idea who they were -except that they were voter fodder and he needed them.

"First speeches are today. You nervous?" One of them asked.

Trunks gave a carefully measured shrug. Not dismissive, but also not obviously posturing, and replied, "A little bit. But I think I can handle it." He gave a strategically self-deprecating laugh. "After all, if I can't take the first round of speeches, I won't be in the running for very long."

...

First and second period practically flew by in a blur of the daily grind usually associated with school. 

Bell rings. Stand and bow to the teacher. Attendance. Lecture. Notes. Class discussion. More notes. Bell rings. Stand and bow to the teacher. Repeat. No different than any other day. Were it not for the flashcards bearing his speech practically burning a hole in his pocket, Trunks might have even forgotten that it was a campaign day. 

Then homeroom rolled around and everyone was diverted to the auditorium. It was on!

A Student Council speech was just like any other political speech, just on a much smaller scale. Its written with the audience in mind. What is important to the majority of people in your school? There needs to be a good balance between serious administrative and logistical issues -especially in schools like this, where the student government is given more freedoms-, and silly, mundane things like what bands you can get to play at Prom, or what photographer is gonna be doing the senior photos. 

Then there's the delivery. A winner projects an air of confidence and strength. He is not intimidated by numbers. By the expectations of his audience. Or the pressure of his speech's importance. Instead he rises to the occasion. Is invigorated by the challenge and addresses the wide-eyed cattle of the student body as a King addresses the swarming masses of lowly Third Class peasantry. 

...Hm. At some point, Trunks' inner monologue morphed from his own voice to his fathers. He'd have to watch out for that. Suddenly swinging off on 'Prince of the Saiyans' rants would be counter productive to his campaign. Still, he was ready for this. It was the first campaign day. This was level one stuff. He had this in the bag. 

Trunks suppressed a very Vegeta-like smirk, instead keeping a strait, sober, face as he took the podium. He stood strait and didn't fidget. Perfect posture. Hands resting on the sides of the podium -relaxed. He projected quiet confidence before flashing one of his most dazzling smiles at the auditorium. 

It was the first day, so he kept his speech simple. Reminding the student body of some of the triumphs and failures of the previous Council and alluding to his plans for an improved student government. He joked about a few celebrities that had been in the news recently and the latest episode of the most popular teen melodrama that season. Always wanting to end on a strong note, he reminded the student body of the positions he already held in his various extracurriculars and the trophies he'd brought back to the school from his kendo matches. He did not mention that he was the heir to Capsule Corp or allude to the resources and connections he could bring in. They all already knew that anyway. Besides, it was to early in the game to bring out the big guns. That would be like going Super-Saiyan to fight Kuririn. 

Then it was Panni's turn.

Trunks sat with his arms crossed over his chest and studied his adversary. 

From the looks of it, she too had tried to look her best. Black mary-janes were polished to a shine. Knee-high socks a pure-white and unadorned. She did wear her skirt a quarter inch shorter than most of the other girls and Trunks made a mental note to double check the length against the dress code regulations. If he could get her on a uniform violation early in the game, it would damage her morale and swing the poles in his favor. Her blazer was freshly ironed. Tie, just as tight as Trunks' own. Her long pink hair in a half-up half-down style that, while a tad unprofessional for a political figure, looked adequately flattering on her. 

She tapped her index-cards on the podium and cleared her throat anxiously. 

'Nervous.' Trunks concluded with a smirk. 'Weak.' 

Then Panni Rajkumari flipped her hair ala Charlie's Angels style and gave one of those demure yet captivating smiles that only cute girls could pull off without looking like doofuses. 

Damn it!

That action alone could sway half the male vote her way. Forget the speech. The hair-flip and smile was one of the most subtle yet powerful weapons in the female arsenal. Trunks had seen his mother use it on his father enough times to know that. He was a fool to have underestimated his enemy like that. He had researched her, sized her up like he would any enemy. But he had forgotten one small, fundamental, detail. 

Panni Rajkumari was a girl.

She had wiles. Feminine wiles. 

And from the looks of things, she was not shy about using them. Well, he had his wiles too! If she was gonna play dirty like that, then so would he. Trunks was handsome and he knew it, and he was not above a little flirtation with the female student body to get what he wanted. 

Mentally, he began changing his battle plan. 

He held positions in both the Science League and Robotics Club, and was Captain of the Kendo Team. He was sure they would support him. That gave him approximately thirty sure votes come election day. They might fall victim to Rajkumari's whiles, but in the voting booth, they'd remember where their true loyalties laid. What he needed to do was start turning her allies towards him. Go after the members of Rajkumari's extra-curriculars. All the rest of the school was a swing vote, they would drift wherever the wind blew. But to steal votes that his opponent would think were assured, that would destroy her power base and propel him to the top of the polls. 

The Drama Club would be easiest to coax to his side. They were all theater geeks with an over-abundance of free time and inflated ideas of their own talent. Trunks could play to their vanity and one by one seduce them to his camp. Girls' League would be much more difficult. It was all full of feminist nazis who were more likely to vote against him based solely on the fact that he had a penis. Trunks would have to be carful with them. Try and set himself up as the mythical 'rare breed of man' who champions female virtue and admits to the inferiority of the male sex. Damn. That one was gonna be a hard pill to swallow. Trunks, like his father before him, had never done well when it came to swallowing pride. As for the Naginata Team, well, he was Captain of the Kendo Team. If they at all believed in bushido and bujutsu, then his skill and prowess with a sword should be enough to endear him to the team. If not... well, there was always manipulation and trickery.

By the time she finished her speech, Trunks had a rough outline for his revised battle plan.

He was not gonna let that pink-haired little upstart beat him. 

...

Panni had always been top of her class. She studied hard and applied herself, not because she actually cared about her academics or even because her parents pushed the importance of education in their home. No, her motivation was far simpler than that. Panni Rajkumari enjoyed the praise that went along with success. At heart, she was a very vain woman who needed constant external validation. That was why she applied herself in classes. That was why she studied so hard for tests. That was why she participated in no less than three extra-curriculars in every school she attended. 

It was all about the attention.

When she did well on a test, her teachers praised her for being so clever and hard working. When she got the lead in a play, the Drama Club rallied around her as the focal point of their production. When she did well in Naginatajutsu matches and brought back a trophy, the whole school praised her as their champion -at least until the next champ of the next sport did the same thing.

Prior to her acceptance to her current middle school, Panni held the high scores on all Entrance and Placement Exams. That was how she liked to make her debut to a knew school. To hold the top score on the Entrance Exam got her noticed. Her looks made her popular. Her extra-curriculars endeared her to people so that they only ever had good things to say about her. That was her standard operating procedure and it never seemed to fail. 

...Until recently. 

This year, Panni had not earned herself the top score on the Placement Exams. No. Instead she was bumped down to being the lowly holder of the second highest score. The top score was, instead, stolen by West City's local golden boy, heir to the Capsule Corporation's empire, Trunks Vegeta Briefs.

It was the first time in all her fourteen years that Panni had ever been so humiliated. She swore revenge!

So, when he announced his intent to run for Student Council President, it was the perfect opportunity. No less than an hour later, Panni announced her plan to run for the same position. This time she was going to beat him. Then all the attention and praise would be showered on her. She would not let him win first place again! It was unacceptable.

Briefs, like most boys, thought the best way to win a conflict was to confront it head on. Such was evident in his speech. His eye-contact was perfect. He spoke directly to the student body. But he had no flair. No flash. Briefs spoke like a general addressing his troops, like he was above them, not one of them. He was sober and serious. But worse than that, he was bland. He didn't create a memorable experience. Voters might think he sounded nice while he was actually speaking, but the moment they walked out of the auditorium he would be easily forgotten. It wasn't about making valid points, it was about making a lasting impression. It wasn't about aptitude, it was the way you were viewed. 

As a girl, and a cute girl at that, Panni had one advantage over Briefs. All the intelligence, qualifications, skills, and aptitude in the world didn't mean a thing in a popularity contest. Especially not when running against a cute girl in a short skirt. The voters were, after all, teenagers. In the end, it all came down to manipulation. How to sway the most voters with the least amount of effort. Maybe if Briefs would loosen his tie and pop a button or two -to try and play-up his own assets- then maybe he would have a chance against her. After all, he was Captain of the Kendo Team, he must be fairly fit under that over-starched uniform.

But he seemed to strait-laced for that. Panni knew his type. It was evident in his speech and in his body language. He was running on merit and aptitude. He lacked the constitution to fight dirty. She'd win the Presidency with ease. Her vengeance against him for besting her in the Placement Exams was assured. 

...

Kendo practice after school. 

As Team Captain, Trunks acted as shidachi. Assisting the uchidachi, the teacher, in demonstrating the kata for the rest of the team. Because, of course, everyone simply must have forgotten them over the summer recess. 

No, he was just being cynical. Maintaining the basics was important. Besides, not everyone could be a 3rd-Dan like he was. Trunks began his swordsman training at the age of eight -not long after the fiasco with Hirudegarn- and was awarded the sixth Kyu one year after that. Most people his age were still clawing their way out of the Kyu's, or -if they were very skilled- had achieved the first Dan. They called him a prodigy, and for a human Trunks supposed he might be. But for a Saiyan, his skill was simply... adequate. Something his father decided was unforgivable. 

It was bad enough that Trunks chose to fight with a weapon, something no 'true warrior' would do. But that he was only 'adequate' by Vegeta's near immeasurably high standards was always a source of contention between the two. 'If you're gonna use a crutch like a weakling, brat, at least have the decency to use it properly!'

Trunks was shocked from his thoughts rather abruptly when he landed a migi-do strike far harder than he intended to. The teacher crumpled to the ground as if he were made of paper. Shit! 

"Sensei! Are you alright?" The demi-Saiyan went to one knee in front of his teacher, his hakama rustling over the hardwood floor. Trunks' mind suddenly filled with all the horrible injuries a human could sustain from a single careless blow from him. Starting with a bad bruise, escalating to internal bleeding and ruptured organs, finally culminating in death. Damn it! Damn it all!

This was all Rajkumari's fault! He was distracted because of her. 

The teacher groaned up at the kneeling demi-Saiyan. "Ugh. I think I might start having to wear bogu when I demonstrate kata with you, Briefs-kun."

Oh, thank goodness he hadn't killed the man! That would end his presidential campaign right there. He needed to reign in his strength. No one would want to vote for the freak that killed the kendo teacher while trying to demonstrate the basic kata. 

Control.

That was the name of the game in this arena. Control of his Saiyan abilities and control over the student body. 

Control was not a trait that ran in his family -either side of his family. 

The teacher climbed unsteadily to his feet. "I'll be a bit bruised tomorrow." Yeah, a bit. "Everyone, please begin ikkyodo men uchi."

As the rest of the class raised their shinai over their heads to repeat the single motion strike, the teacher sort of limped-hobbled to the back of the room to sit. Trunks, dejectedly, rejoined his fellows in the monotonous task of practicing what was probably the simplest and most boring sword-strike in the universe. 

"Nice one, Taisa." One of his teammates muttered in his ear. As Team Captain, his title should actually be 'Shushou', but when away on tournaments, where the faculty supervisors were more 'laxed and the Team Captains were given more freedom, Trunks tended to run his team almost like his own private military outfit. He didn't know who started it, but it began as more of a joke, calling him 'Taisa' -an army colonel- behind his back, then later to his face. When his only reaction was to smirk and say, 'Nice', the title stuck. "Bring that kinda force to the next tournament and we'll bring home another first place."

Since Trunks joined the team, their school had been undefeated when tournament season rolled around every year. And, one was scheduled conveniently before voting day for the Student Council elections too. Another victory and another trophy in the school's case would certainly help his campaign. Sometimes it felt like the universe was just handing him the position on a silver platter. 'Here you are, my prince, you deserve it.'

He suppressed a smirk, adopting instead an air of remorseful humility. He did just nearly K.O. the teacher, after all. "You don't need to strike hard." He replied. "So long as the blow connects you get the point. There's no need to hospitalize someone to win."

-Said no true Saiyan warrior ever. 

"Well, either way," his teammate continued, "I foresee another victory in our future."

Of course. 

This time Trunks did allow himself a smirk. Victory was the only outcome he would accept. To lose, more importantly, to lose to a human, would be the worse shame a Saiyan Elite could endure. Whether it be a kendo tournament or a student election, failure was not an option. 

"Lucky break for our Taisa." Said another boy. "Having the tournament right before elections."

Yes. He was just thinking about that, actually. Nice to see they finally caught up. 

"Yeah." The first agreed. "But the advantage is nullified because the naginata tournament is the weekend before our tournament. If Rajkumari-san also brings back the winning trophy then she and Taisa are back on even footing." 

Ha! As if he and that pink-haired pissant could ever be on even footing!

"Gosh... Rajkumari-san is so cute!" The second exclaimed suddenly. 

At that, Trunks had to turn his head to flash a betrayed glare at his teammate. "She is not!"

Damn her and her whiles! They were already taking a toll on his men. Turning them against him. Trunks vowed he would burry her. Not only would he beat her in the Student Council elections, but by the time he was through with her, 'Panni Rajkumari' will have become nothing more than another vague face in the yearbook. 

"Oh, come on, Taisa." Continued his teammate. "I know she's running against you right now, but don't tell me you don't see it? Second highest score on the Placement Exams, had the lead role in last year's production of Macbeth, and is Captain of the Naginata Team. She's like a perfect Nadeshiko."

"Okay, first of all, the Placement Exams are a joke. My baby sister could take those things in her sleep!" That was a bold-faced lie. The Briefs children were all gifted with genius-level intelligence, but Bra was still just a baby, not even a year old yet. Her main pass-times were eating and pooping. So, the 9th-grade Placement Exams probably were a little out of her skill depth. "Secondly, the leading role in Macbeth was Macbeth, she played Lady Macbeth. Big difference! And, so she's Captain of a sports team. So what? Lots of girls are Team Captains. None of that stuff makes her a Nadeshiko!"

The two other boys exchanged a significant look. "Me thinks our Taisa doth protest to much."

Trunks suppressed a growl. Idiots were falling for the enemy and trying to drag him down with them. "Wrong play, guys, that line comes from Hamlet. You'll never impress Rajkumari like that."

And, hopefully, their infatuation with her will have evaporated by the time voting day rolled around. 

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief note on Kendo:  
>  When Trunks is internally monologuing about Dans and Kyus. These are levels of advancement within kendo, as decided by the International Kendo Federation (FIK). The Kyu levels are a sort of pre-beginner to beginner level grading system. There are six in all and are arranged in reverse order with the Sixth Kyu being the lowest level and First Kyu being the highest level. After the Kyus come the Dan's which are arranged in ascending order with the First being the lowest and Eight being the highest. However, a person cannot be granted the First Dan until they are at least 13 years old, or older. After that, one year of training is required to advance to the Second Dan. When Trunks mentions that he is a 3rd Dan, this is the highest rank he could possibly hold according to the FIK. 
> 
> A bit of translator notes, "bogu" is the protective armor worn during official kendo matches to protect the specific target areas that kendoka must strike to earn points. Its made up of the helmet (men), hard leather around the throat and neck (tsuki-dare), long arm-guards (kote), a breastplate (do), and tare to protect the waist and groin. When the teacher says he has to start wearing bogu when demonstrating with Trunks as his shidachi, he's basically saying "damn, boy! You hit so hard I have to wear armor around you!"
> 
> Everything else, I think, is explained within the narration. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post a review.)


End file.
